LignoBoost - lignin from pulp mill black liquor

LignoBoost is a well proven technology for producing high quality kraft lignin. Valmet has built two commercial plants and has also developed the technology further. LignoBoost lignin can today be tailored into several interesting qualities and this gives several new options for kraft pulp mills to extend their product range and go into new businesses.

Off-loading the recovery boiler

When a recovery boiler is the limiting factor to increasing pulping capacity, LignoBoost is a good solution to the problem. If 25% of the lignin in the black liquor is removed, boiler capacity can be increased to enable 20-25% more pulp production.

LignoBoost plants in operation

The first full-scale LignoBoost plant was started up in 2013 at Domtar’s Plymouth, North Carolina mill, where high-quality lignin is a by-product of the pulping process. Domtar now market the lignin as BioChoice™ lignin.

The second commercial LignoBoost plant was started up in 2015. The plant at the Stora Enso Sunila mill has a capacity of 50 000 tons of dry (95 % ds) lignin per year. For more information, please see here.

The LignoBoost demonstration plant in Bäckhammar, Sweden, has a capacity of 8 000 tons of lignin per year and was started in 2007. In addition to normal production, this plant is well suited for developmental work and test runs on liquor from other mills.

Lignin is the natural glue that holds wood fibers together. It is renewable and abundant and some of it is already being sold by pulp mills. Lignin can be used in a wide range of applications, ranging from fuels to advanced chemicals and materials.

Valmet’s LignoBoost process has been developed further and new process concepts can tailor the extracted lignin into different qualities. This gives new options for kraft pulp mills to go into new businesses.